Suchergebnisse

Small economies and particularly islands are often accused of finding creative means of sourcing income, at times bordering on legal yet dubious and debatable schemes. The most recent that has come under attack is the selling of citizenship or residency, with accusations of money laundering and tax evasion routes. Since such schemes attract the richer crust of society, the expectations are that such individuals have ulterior motives for requiring another country to reside in or be a citizen of. Can such schemes be viewed solely from such a negative perspective? Do they only entice persons with bad intentions or do such programmes also help in the economic development of these small countries? This paper looks at the schemes which are presently in place worldwide and then focuses on the recent scheme adopted by Malta. This programme has been met with significant resistance by the European Union, however, it needs to be acknowledged that other EU member states have similar citizenship/residency programmes. What role is the programme maintaining in the economic development of Malta? How successful has it been and what are the expectations for its future continuing process? ; peer-reviewed

Malta stands out as one of the countries in the European Union with the lowest percentage of women working. This is as a result of the long-standing role women have tended to occupy in society, primarily as homemakers, whilst males have been considered as the main breadwinners. To a certain extent this is still the case in the majority of households today, particularly in the older generations. Younger couples are more likely to be both working, not only because of the need of the woman to reach her potential (particularly in the case of professionals) but also because the demands of today's society and the expectations raised by modern life, require more than one salary to sustain the needs of a family. Recent years have seen an increase in the number of women in employment. However, it has also led to slow increases in the gender pay gap, where it stood at 7.8% in 2007 and rose to 11% by 2016. Malta is below the EU-28 average of 16.2%, but the fact that the gender pay gap is increasing implies that action needs to be taken to ensure that males and females have the same opportunities in the economy, and that women and men are treated equally in the labour market. ; peer-reviewed

This publication is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity -PROGRESS (2007-2013). ; Malta has the lowest female employment rate compared to the other 27 EU member states. However, the female labour market has been changing in the past years, where policies trying to attract more women in the market, as workers, employers or self-employed, have been put into place. According to the latest Population Census 2011 (NSO 2014), the 15+ female population totals 179,752, of which only 65,071 are considered as employed (including 141 women who are either unpaid family workers or members of producer's cooperatives). A total of 4,444 females were seeking employment, while the remainder 110,237 were inactive. This means that only 36.2% of 15+ females were employed in 2011, with this increasing to 37.3% by the first quarter of 2014. The female employment rate (which considers the 15-64 age group) was 47.1% during Q1, 2014. Figure 1 shows the trend from 2004 to 2013 for Malta and EU28. This indicates that the increase is stronger in Malta, even if it remains relatively low when compared to the EU average, however, in the past few years it appears to be closing the gap since the EU average has remained somewhat stationary. ; peer-reviewed

Malta is the smallest state in the European Union (EU). It stands out as the EU state with the lowest rate of female participation in the labour force. Labour market studies generally focus on the reasons for this low participation; some refer to traditional and cultural factors, while others blame inadequate policies on issues such as flexi/reduced hours, childcare centres, tax rates and other family friendly measures (ILO, 2009; Baldacchino, 2003). Yet other studies relate this low rate to the lack of available jobs and poor wages, which are not enough to entice women to leave the comfort of their daily routine to be 'condemned' to follow rules and do menial jobs under supervision. Low participation rates are more likely to be found among the less educated segments of the female population. ; peer-reviewed

Migration strategies often permit densely populated island territories to alleviate unemployment, ease pressure on limited resources, and compensate for the absence of economic diversification. This paper evaluates two types of recent migratory flows affecting the Maltese archipelago: international migration to and from the islands triggered or intensified by European Union membership; and domestic, inter-island movements between the 'mainland' (Malta) and the smaller island (Gozo).The descriptive statistics used are based on published data, whilst the qualitative evaluation is derived from focus groups and interviews with stakeholders. Conclusions suggest that emigration remains an overall positive experience at the individual level, with constructive spill-over effects, mingling of cultures and better use of resources at the national level. Such benefits can be expected to increase if authorities design policies which encourage rather than discourage migratory flows. ; peer-reviewed

This paper is a case study of the Maltese macroeconomic situation, within the context of Malta's accession negotiations with the European Union. The Maastricht Convergence Criteria and the Stability and Growth Pact relate to the Economic and Monetary Union, but are considered as benchmarks for member states, whether these form part of the EMU or not. Within this framework this article assesses Malta's economic situation vis-a-vis convergence with the European Union, taking into account both nominal and real convergence. The Maastricht convergence criteria are used for nominal convergence while Okun's discomfort index and the EMU indicator devised by Gros and Thygesen are used to analyse real convergence. ; peer-reviewed

This report presents an analysis of long-term unemployment (LTU), which in the case of Malta is seen to be declining, like the overall unemployment rate. The report sets outs to explain three main issues: the benefits and services to which the long-term unemployed are entitled; the concept of a one-stop shop to deliver and coordinate these services; and whether the approach takes the individual into consideration or whether services are delivered to everyone in the same manner, with no distinctions for personal circumstances. This report addresses three issues in respect of LTU in Malta: benefits and services available to the long-term unemployed; coordination between services towards a one-stop shop approach; the existence or otherwise of an individualised approach to address LTU. The services available to Malta's long term unemployed seek to provide them with both a relatively good financial support and incentive and training services to return to employment. There are three types of unemployment benefits: UB (unemployment benefit); UA (unemployment assistance); and SUB (special unemployment benefits). The first type, UB, is based on social security contributions and can be provided for a maximum of six months, while the other two are means-tested and are available for longer periods, that is until the individual finds employment or his/her financial and home circumstances change. A person can also apply for unemployment assistance (commonly known as 'relief') if the amount of UB is low due to the low number of contributions paid. After the elapse of these six months, persons may continue to qualify for unemployment assistance, which does not have any time limits. UA is means tested and is given to registered heads of households whose capital assets do not exceed €14,000 (if single) and €23,300 (if married), but does not cover individuals who are under 23 years of age. The long-term unemployed may qualify for this category. A person may also qualify for Special unemployment benefits (SUB), which can be more than unemployment assistance, after the lapse of six months. The SUB system is rather complicated and different rates apply depending on the circumstances of the household, assets, contributions paid, dependents, etc. SUB can also be provided to individuals who for some reason (for example an accident) are physically unable to register. Services are provided by two entities: the ETC (Employment and Training Corporation) and the Department of Social Security (DSS). The first is responsible for registration, training and personalised support; the second is responsible for financial support. The ETC regularly forwards information to the DSS on the unemployed so that entitlement is in turn paid by the DSS. A number of specific measures exist in Malta to help the long-term unemployed move out of the benefit trap. To encourage persons to find employment, which at times may not offer a much higher incentive than the social assistance they are receiving, assistance is tapered off over a three year period rather than it being suddenly terminated when a person returns to employment. On the other, hand employers are rewarded with financial incentives for three whole years when they employ long-term unemployed persons. Although there is a very good level of communication between the ETC and the DSS, a one-stop shop would improve services. However, whilst there are plans for a one-stop shop in the case of many e-services being offered by the government, there do not appear to be any plans to better coordinate activities and services offered by these two. Existing communication is mainly the forwarding of a weekly list of persons registered with the ETC to the DSS so that the latter can update its own list of people who qualify for that particular week. ; N/A

This paper depicts a picture of the gender pay gap in Malta, which continued to increase to 12.2% in 2017. Recent years have seen an increase in the number of women in employment, but this has mainly been in the lower-end salary scales of the labour market and in part-time work, which have both partially contributed to a widening of the gender pay gap. Maltese women's traditional role has been as a housemaker: even for those who were in the labour market, the expectations usually were and possibly continue to be, that it is the woman who leaves her job to take up the responsibilities of the family - children, the elderly and other relatives. Although legislation in terms of equal pay has been in place since 1976, there are many issues, which continue to impede real gender pay equality, including a patriarchal culture, strong male networks, family-friendly measures mainly taken up by females, career breaks, lack of transparency in pay structures, job segregation, and societal gender biases. ; peer-reviewed

This Report traces the development of Labour Law and the implications for Industrial Relations, as well as social and employment policy more generally, in the two small Mediterranean countries of Cyprus and Malta during the period 1995–2005. This period was particularly important for the two countries as it coincided with their efforts for accession to the European Union (EU) and the process of harmonisation with the Acquis Communautaire. Since their independence in 1960 and 1964 respectively for Cyprus and Malta, successive Governments in each country – working with the social partners – had sought to steer a policy of social cohesion to underpin their development efforts. Whilst these strategies were successful in fostering a long period of economic growth and peaceful labour relations, a major outcome was the existence of relatively inflexible labour markets. Liberalisation and globalisation of international markets, coupled with the pressure exerted by the accession process, which required the implementation of the Acquis Communautaire necessitated a series of changes with far reaching implications in social and economic affairs. Naturally the framework of Labour Law – and labour practices thereof – came under increasing pressure to adapt and reform. The Executive Summary describes the main aims and objectives of the Report on the evolution of Labour Law in Cyprus and Malta in the period 1995-2005, and provides an outline of the component chapters. Specifically the Report is divided into three chapters. The first and second chapters consist of the individual Reports on Cyprus and Malta respectively. These constitute the main body of the Report and investigate the evolution of Labour Law in the two countries separately and the implications for Industrial Relations, employment and social policy. The third chapter provides a concluding overview of the two countries' experiences and an evaluation of the state of implementation of the Acquis Communautaire in the fields examined. ; peer-reviewed

NCPE's commitment to eliminating gender equality in Malta comes forth again with this research exercise. As you will read in the following pages, through the European Social Fund project – ESF 3.47 Unlocking the Female Potential, NCPE has embarked on a mission to further understand certain realities that limit the involvement of women in the labour market. Throughout this research, we have sought to identify the needs of specific female target groups that make up the national context. Among other objectives we delved deeper into the variances between the needs of male and female entrepreneurs, the hardships of temporary and casual workers whose employment is considered vulnerable, the perceptions of employed females with regards to the glass ceiling and glass cliff, how Maltese women view financial independence, the effects of social security benefits on the decision to take up employment, the skills available in the inactive segment and which roles females not contributing to the labour force see themselves in, as well as a thorough study of the Gozitan female population on how they view employment and how Gozitan society views employed females. It has been an exciting journey through two very full years of research to discover and bring to you these findings. In the 2nd chapter, we have also included policy recommendations that we hope will address the most urgent needs when it comes to gender inequality and discrimination. Important conclusions that can be covered in future studies as well as in future legislation can also be found here. In the analysis we have also assessed the impact of relevant policy actions and projects. We trust that this research will be fruitful and will be useful for policy development in order to enhance gender equality. Special thanks go to M. Fsadni & Associates involved in this research as well as to all NCPE staff. ; peer-reviewed